WaterFalls of Hocking Hills State Park

Hocking Hills State Park and
Hocking Hills State Forest
are located
in Hocking county in south eastern Ohio. The sandstone
bedrock here is the remains of an ancient sea. Numerous
streams have carved their way through the sandstone over
the years creating many spectacular gorges. In the Spring,
when the water is high, this area is home to many waterfalls.

The most reliable and biggest, in terms of water volume,
of the waterfalls are
Cedar Falls and the Upper and Lower
Falls at Old Man's Cave.
A very scenic 2 mile
trail connects these two areas. In the middle of summer
these falls can get pretty thin.

I visited the area in May 2005, and at that time
the following falls also still had a respectable amount of
water. The Ash Cave Falls
were still flowing, but I have seen pictures with
of them with considerably more water.
Whispering Falls is a
tall, delicate waterfall that plummets into the Queer Creek
gorge. It is roughly the halfway point between the
Lower Falls and Cedar Falls.
Conkle's Hollow
is one of the more impressive of the many
hollows in the area, featuring 200' cliffs. The gorge
trail ends at a pretty 20' waterfall. In wetter weather
a second higher falls lands a short distance away, and
the inaccessible upper gorge holds waterfalls as well.

If you are lucky, you can find dozens of more waterfalls
early in the Spring or following some good rains.
I have not been so lucky, but I have
gotten an impression of what could be. A tributary of Old Man's Cave
tumbles into the gorge a short distance from the
visitor center. It was often only a trickle,
but is quite impressive when the water
is high. Another tall seasonal falls plunges into the gorge
just below the lower falls, and a bit beyond that
you can find Broken Rock Falls. In addition to Whispering Falls
at least two other streams fall into the Queer Creek
Gorge, one just a few hundred feet downstream of Cedar Falls.
There are several potentially impressive waterfalls
to be found at
Cantwell Cliffs.
Sadly they were just trickles in May 2005 and March 2010.
Even the Rockhouse
has a waterfall in wet weather.

One of the highest waterfalls in the area is
Big Spring Hollow Falls.
The falls does not carry a lot of water, but it is over 100' high.
If it is actually spring fed, as the name implies, then it is
less likely dry up than other falls in the area. There is a small
falls next to it, and other seasonal falls nearby.

There are many other hollows and streams in Hocking Hills
State Park and State Forest
and I am sure that if you visited at
just the right time you could easily find a dozen
more waterfalls. Stop by some rainy March or April
and see what you can find. Things seem to perk up
again in Autumn, and then you also have the Fall colors
to appreciate.

This map shows the location of some of the Hocking Hills Falls.
Rockbridge Falls is
another interesting seasonal waterfall that is
just a short drive from the park and forest.

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Last Modified:
Wednesday, 05-Jul-2017 17:28:11 MDT.